I,1ST OV ANIMALS OK Sl'ITZHEHG EN. 159 



and annoys it while living, and feeds on it when dead. It 

 scoops hemispherical pieces out of its body, nearly as big as 

 a person's head ; and continues scooping and gorging lump 

 after lump, until the whole cavity of its belly is filled. It is 

 so insensible of pain, that though it has been run through 

 the body with a knife and escaped, yet, after a while, I have 

 seen it return to banquet again on the whale, at the very 

 spot where it received its wounds" (Scoresby, 1. c, i, 539). 

 The same author has never heard of this shark attacking 

 the whale-fisher, although he frequently slips into the water 

 where they abound. It uses its tail only in swimming, the 

 other fins are spread out to balance it, and are never observed 

 in motion but when some change of direction is required. 



Sawfish. Page 102. 

 Pristis antiquorum — Saw-fish, 



jSIr. Laing gives an instance of its insensibility to injury ; 

 it occurred on a whaling voyage at Spitzbergen. " During 

 X\ie Jlinching of the whales, ... a saw-fish, . . . more voracious 

 than the rest, approached close to the side of the whale's 

 carcase, and seized a large piece of blubber, which was ready 

 to be hoisted on board. Before he could make his escape, 

 however, he was struck by a harpoon, and, his flight being 

 thus obstructed, he was attacked with spears ; a tackle was 

 immediately fastened to his jaws, and being hoisted on deck, 

 his belly was ripped open and the blubber recovered. The 

 carpenter, too, stripped a considerable quantity of skin from 

 his tail. Notwithstanding this rude treatment, he was no 

 sooner let down than he swam away with great agility." — 

 Accotmt of a Voyage to Spitzbergen, pp. 139, 140. 



